


Unregulated Rumours

by MassacrePear



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eustass Kid has ADHD, Eustass Kid is mistaken as a delinquient, Killer is genderfluid, M/M, Pre-Slash, and uses they/them pronouns, brief description of fighting/violence, they adopt a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 11:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14448672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassacrePear/pseuds/MassacrePear
Summary: Kidd is a not actually a thug, it was one time.





	Unregulated Rumours

**Author's Note:**

> This was based on a prompt that was something like "I'm not a thug but everyone thinks I am so now I just roll with it". Also I decided to spell Kidd with two D's for this one just an fyi

It happened like this.

Kidd was walking home to his shared apartment when he heard yelling in an ally. He glanced down the passage to see three men crowding around something. Looking between their feet to see a skirt Kidd decided that yes, he would fight these guys.

A surprise attack on the middle man took him out swiftly, intimidating the others as their leader went down. They hesitated for a second and that was enough for Kidd to punch another in the face. The last dropped a knife as he panicked and ran off.  
Kidd helped the girl up. She was grateful.

Killer, who had to bandage his busted knuckles, was not.

 

It happened like this.

Apparently some student had seen him beat up the thugs, and given Kidd's sour face, bright hair and multiple piercings lining each ear, had spread rumours with ease.  
Kidd wasn't fussed. It kept people he didn't want at a distance.

Until the new year. The fresh university goers brought with them Portgas D. Ace's youngest brother, a chaotic entity know as Luffy, and a bunch of his also-chaotic friends. Luffy wouldn't leave Kidd alone.  
Knowing Kidd as a troublemaker relaxed the friends of Luffy's, thinking that he wasn't pulling an innocent person into his messes. The redhead, Nami called bullshit on Kidd's delinquency almost immediately, but his new nearconstant association with Luffy only served to strengthen his reputation. Kidd just rolled with it.

 

It happened like this.

A med student transferred from halfway across the country to finish his PhD, a Trafalgar Law that Luffy took an immediate liking towards.  
Kid's ADHD had pulled him into a personal project at this time, making him not only put off his engineering assignments, but allowed him to avoid a great deal of social interaction in the process.

He showed up at uni after missing twelve days, and revelled in the unrealistic theories of injuries that could have caused his absence.  
It was the second day back when Kidd literally walked into Law, knocking over medical notes and blueprints and a _lot_ of Kidd's dumb little drawings.  
Kidd grumbled, Law smirked. They picked up their things and parted ways.

A bunch of assholes in a gang or whatever started harassing Kidd. They started small, occasional snide remarks and bumping into him in the halls. It escalated until Kidd was in a fistfight with three other guys behind the science building in broad daylight.  
It got recorded and all four were suspended for a week.  
It strengthened Kidd's reputation once more, but the fear started to affect his interactions with his teachers.

 

It happened like this.

Kidd was minding his business on the way back from a grocery trip when he spotted the small cardboard box on the pavement. He looked inside to see a grey kitten, left out by some heartless asshole. It meowed. He crouched down and approached it, trying his hardest to be unthreatening. It worked enough for Kidd to pet it, but the longer he did the more numb his legs became. He moved to sit crossed legged instead, and the kitten startled with the movement. He moved into place slower, then picked up the kitten to pet it in his lap. He smiled. The kitten purred.

A snort broke the peace and Kidd looked up to glare at a very amused Trafalgar Law. The asshole grinned and opened his mouth.

“Didn't take you as an animal person. Thought you were a big bad delinquent.”

Kidd rolled his eyes and continued the pet the kitten. Law moved to crouch by, slowly reaching a tattooed hand to touch the kitten as well.

“I'm not a delinquent” there's a quiet laugh next to him. “I beat up a person one time to help a girl out and everyone thinks I'm a gangster. It's easier to just let people think whatever they want.” Law hummed in response.

 

It happened like this.

Kidd couldn't leave the kitten. Quiche, he called her as he went back to the store to acquire cat appropriate food. He hid her down the front of his coat, where she would be warm and could poke her head out if she pleased. Then he smuggled her into the dorms.

Kidd didn't know what the policy on pets was. Didn't care in the past and it wouldn't stop him now. Killer, Kidd's roommate, asked about him picking up strays. Kidd said no, but the soft meow from his chest gave him away. Killer waved their hand dismissively and went back to the comic they were reading.

Kidd's coursework worsened, the bias from his teachers impacting his assessment results. Kidd struggled more and more to concentrate in lectures. So he brought Quiche along to comfort him.  
The professor asked what he was doing once, and Kidd lifted the small kitten out of his coat. The professor gave a hesitant smile and let it be. Kidd nailed his next test.

 

It happened like this.

Law somehow heard about Quiche, and showed up at Kidd's door demanding joint custody of the cat. Killer thought it was funny, Kidd did not.

Killer would invite Law in when Kidd was out, and absolutely told all sort of embarrassing stories about the redhead to Law. Too often Kidd would walk into his housing to a wheezing Law on the floor while Killer giggled silently from their chair.  
And so Law became a regular part of his routine.

It took Luffy a month to realise that Kidd and Law were spending a large amount of time together, and he became determined to find out why. Then Nami joined the conversation to suggest bets on what the two were doing, and Kidd wanted to slam his head on the table in exasperation. Robin made direct eye contact with him from across the table, and Kidd knew that she knew. Nami reached her and Robin suggested they were looking after an animal.  
Kidd _knew_ she left it vague on purpose.

Now Kidd was being followed. To and from classes, to the store, when he went to the library. There were surprised discussions about the amount of mundanity in Kidd's life and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes every time.  
Law snickered whenever he heard it.

 

It happened like this.

Kidd's mood dropped and executive dysfunction set in like a bitch, so Kidd didn't leave his room for a week. It got toward the end of the day when Law stormed in, arms full of soups and hot water bottles and cat food, worried. It's cute.

Kidd insisted that he's fine, but Law started spouting medical stuff about illness and stress and blah blah blah. Killer probably told everyone Kidd wasn't feeling well (which was true, but not exactly correct}.  
Quiche pawed at Law's pant leg for attention, and he gladly indulged her, sitting on the edge of the bed Kidd hadn't left yet. Kidd turned away to go back to sleep.  
Law paused his petting, which Kidd didn't see. He did notice though, when Law shifted his weight around, and Quiche landed on Kidd's shoulder as Law tried to nudge him over.

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked, voice croaky.  
Law just hummed, god Kidd hated it when he did that – and shuffled his body so it was pressed up against Kidd.

“Just go to sleep dumbass.”

Kidd decided to comply, just this once.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.


End file.
